Monday, June 25, 2012

This workout is full body and you get your metabolism going hard! Today's workout will focus on heavier lower body with low reps and lighter upper body with high reps. The next post will be a workout featuring the opposite. Follwing the intense load on your lower body today your lower body can almost recover on Wednesday since there will be lighter loads

workout 1

A1) Glute thrusters with barbell over hips-6 reps-each a 3 sec hold at top ( heavy weight ) http://h4training.blogspot.com/2012/02/eom-glute-thrusters.htmlA2) Pushups-15 reps as fast as you can ( if you cant finish then move to a high bench to finish ) nose to floor!!!!A3) Single leg deadlift with 2 dumbbells-6 each ( keep bend in thigh for more glute )A4) Tricep extensions w rope-15 repsA5) Bicycle crunch on bosu ( one leg at a time )-12 each4 total rounds. Take no-90sec rest depending on fitness level

B1) Goblet hold w dumbbell reverse lunges-6 each B2) TRX row-( palms down to palms face to finish )-15 repsB3) High step up-6 each ( focus driving through heels and squeezing glutes at the top )B4) Pulldown w cable machine-15 repsB5) Pallof Press w cable-10 each side4 rounds. Take no-90sec rest depending on fitness level* If you dont have a TRX you can use cable handles on a row

End with farmers walks with dumbbells for 50 yards ( estimate in the gym ) then followed by a 50 yard sprint ( if you don't have room then sprint back and forth in your space until you reach 50 )
**Rest 45 sec and repeat 2 more rounds

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

I just finished reading a very interesting book called Lose the wheat, Lose the weight! I have been reading a bunch of diet/nutrition books as of late and this was the most recent one I finished. The information is really good and I highly recommend you check it out. More evidence towards the low carb and sugar way of eating.

Glute work should be apart of any one's program no matter the goal.

Stay on track with your goals and make sure you get in the work no matter where you are. I was recently away in North Dakota and managed to get a pretty damn good workout in with my TRX in the barn on the ranch I was staying at. No excuses, find a way to dominate!

Start doing more split squats. Not only are they more low back friendly than the squat but you can also still get great strength and hypertrophy gains from doing them. You can use a barbell, dumbbells or just body weight. All of my clients do them and do them regularly. Give them a try. Checkout my post. http://h4training.blogspot.com/2010/03/eom-bulgarian-split-squat.html

Start writing down not only what you eat but what you do in the gym. I guarantee you do the same thing over and over and I bet you stay in your comfort zone when it comes to exercise selection. Each week look over your workouts and recognize what you are doing and what you aren't doing. Make changes and you will get changes!

Monday, June 18, 2012

1) Try doing a "main" lift workout-This is a great way to hit important lifts like front squats, deadlifts, and variations of these exercises. You basically focus most of the workout on a main lift like deadlift for example and you do one set. After the set then do a less tiring exercise like a bicep curl or pullup. Now go back to the money exercise and keep repeating this sequence. Below is an example.

deadliftpullup

deadliftpushups

deadlifthammer curl

deadliftshoulder press

2) Do the opposite order than you normally do-If you train core last do it first, if you do rows in the middle of the workout then do them at the end. If you always use dumbbells then use barbells. Do you tend to start with triceps on arm days, well do biceps first instead. This difference will help you get out of a training rut.

3) Do everything unilaterally-How often do you do things one arm at a time or one leg at a time? My guess is not very often. Unilateral work has tons of benefits and will also help you from getting bored. You can do single arm curls, presses, squats, deadlifts etc.

4) Mess with the rest- Maybe you tend to always take big rest periods so today you will take shorter rests. You might also notice you rest less after exercises you like and rest more between exercises you don't like so change that. Think about your average rest periods and play around with it next time in the gym.

2) Deadlifts-both single and double leg. Roman deadlifts work very well. RDL's are the variety in which you aim to push your hips backward when bending over. RDL's work better than the traditional straight leg deadlift which emphasizes more lower back since you bend from the back

3) Leg curl-I love doing eccentric curls with the leg curl machine

4) Lunges-Focus on taking a long stride to target the hamstrings more. Once your foot hits the ground try and push away from the floor through the heel.

5) Kettlebell swings-Great exercise to use on a speed day or after a heavy lift or on a fat loss program. make sure you snap with the hips and don't make it a squatting movement.

6) Backwards sled pull-Most of you wont have access to a sled so instead set up a rope at the bottom of a cable pulley rack and use plenty of weight. Now simply grab the rope and keeping yourself with an upright posture walk backwards until the weight stack hits the top. Repeat this for multiple reps. Make sure you stand upright and focus on pulling the ground toward you instead of just walking.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

For the seated row you will be decreasing the weight each set as you up the reps. The thrusters you will be doing the opposite.

A1) Seated row with straight bar-8,10,12,15A2) Glute thrusters-15,12,10,8A3) Shoulder press with dumbbells ( put one leg up on a bench )-perform with palms facing you to start and finishing the press with palms facing away-10A4) Deadlift with dumbbells-10A5) Pallof press with cable-8 reps each side

* 4 total rounds, take up to 2 minutes between rounds if need be

B1) Alternating cable pulldown-12 eachB2) Deficit reverse lunge with dumbbells-10 each B3) Pushups with chest tap ( do one rep then take right hand and tap left pec, then use left hand and tap right pec this equals one rep)-15,12,10,8B4) Band walks moving laterally ( place around your ankles )-8,10,12,15 each directionB5) Stir the pot with physio ball-8 each direction

Monday, June 4, 2012

If you need to improve your forearm strength or size then start using towels. Not only can you do towel chin-ups, but seated rows, inverted rows and even farmers walks in which you put the towel through the kettlebell. Towels will crush your grip and will create a new training stimulus for those exercises that might be getting stagnant.

I still feel like my biceps have grown the most when I do preacher curls. I tend to favor either high volume in both sets and reps like 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps or low sets with heavy weight like 3 sets of 5-6 reps. Keep variety and watch the guns get huge!

Most guys would benefit from cutting out chest and shoulder work for 3 weeks and instead doing more back work. Pull, pull and pull some more.Go after your back 2-3x a week. Hit your back at numerous angles and with different exercises and not only will your posture improve but so will your shoulder health. Plus you will hep yourself get closer to the "V" shape that so many guys strive for. I bet your bench press improves as well.

You need to be getting at least 40% of your breakfast calories from protein. Not only will this lower carb impulses and help with fat loss. First option should be 2-3 whole eggs. If that doesn't work for you then do a protein shake with 30 grams.

A way to mix up your workouts is to try the following same muscle tri-sets.

Back- example
A1) 6 reps dumbbell one arm row
A2)10 reps seated row palms down straight bar
A3) 6-8 reps dumbbell one arm row ( you most likely will need to decrease the weight that you started with )

Chest -example
A1) 6 reps-dumbbell chest press
A2) 3sec hold at the top of each rep, 12 total-pushups
A3) 6-8 reps dumbbell chest press ( you most likely will need to decrease the weight that you started with )

If you are bored with your traditional cardio routine or even the interval work you do then try one of the following.

A) Stairs-you got it, just simply walk up and down the stairs but add a pair of dumbbells. You can do it for numerous rounds or just one round and break it up with something like core work. Find a stair well and get going!

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About Me

I'm a personal trainer working in Chicago. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from University of Nevada-Las Vegas. I am a certified trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine and also hold a certification through Titleist Performance Institute as a certified golf fitness instructor. I have been in the training world for many years and have worked in high end spa clubs, private personal training studios as well as major chain gyms.